Recipe Of The Day: How To Make Chicken Wings In The Oven

Making chicken wings at home is integral for a great Super Bowl Sunday. But, the process can turn your kitchen into a total disaster zone, which is less than ideal. But there is one way to avoid the mess of dredging your poultry in flour, pouring a gallon of oil into a Dutch oven, and hoping for the best. You can still achieve wings with that desirable crispy skin and moist meat with perhaps the easiest cooking technique known to man: putting them in the oven.

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Really, it's just that simple.

This technique doesn't really even involve a bunch of fancy ingredients or going through the day-long process of brining. Though you could certainly give your wings an extra crunch with the addition of breadcrumbs, all you really need to do to achieve a nice crispiness is to pat your chicken's skin super dry with a paper towel. This removes excess moisture from the meat, and the chicken won't steam while it cooks.

From there, this recipe is so simple. Just toss the dried wings in a bit of olive oil, season with salt, pepper and paprika and cook in a 400F oven for 40 to 45 minutes. You can then toss the wings in your favorite sauce.

The recipe below is for traditional Buffalo (the king of game day!), but you can make garlic parmesan wings, jerk wings, honey mustard wings, teriyaki wings or whatever you want. Need even more wing inspiration? Consider our absolute best wing recipes for Super Bowl Sunday (and beyond).

Traditional Oven-Baked Buffalo Wings

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds chicken wings (wingettes and drumettes split)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup hot sauce, preferably Frank's RedHot
• 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a large baking pan or tray with foil.

Step 2: Pat the 2 pounds chicken wings dry with a paper towel.

Step 3: Put the wings on the prepared pan and toss with 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon paprika, salt and pepper.

Step 4: Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, flipping once halfway, until wings are crispy and juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Step 5: 10 minutes before the wings are done, place 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. When melted, add the 1/2 cup hot sauce and stir. Taste and add a splash of cider vinegar, about 1/2 tablespoon. Heat until the sauce is warmed through.

Step 6: Remove the wings from the oven and toss well with the sauce. Serve immediately alongside celery, carrots and blue cheese or ranch dressing if you'd like.